Aqueous humor, the fluid of the eye, is produced by the ciliary body in the posterior chamber. In the normal eye, the fluid migrates into the anterior chamber and filters through the trabecular meshwork into the canal of Schlemm. The canal of Schlemm drains into veins which carry the aqueous humor away from the eye.
Intraocular pressure is a function of the rate at which aqueous humor is produced in and released from the eye. Glaucoma is a disease of the eye characterized by an abnormally high intraocular pressure. Usually, glaucoma is caused by a problem with release, as opposed to production, of aqueous humor.
One method of treating glaucoma is to surgically introduce a drainage device to the eye. Such devices are generally configured to provide a controlled release of aqueous humor to alleviate intraocular pressure. It is critical to the proper functioning of these devices that they be introduced to the eye properly.